The DeKalb County School District is planning to spend $3.2 million in federal pandemic aid to update the Fernbank Science Center.
The projects will bring “state-of-the-art technology” to the aging center in Druid Hills, district staff said at a meeting Monday. They will also make the facility more accessible for individuals with disabilities.
The Fernbank Science Center served approximately 76,000 DeKalb students during the most recent school year, according to records kept by the district. That includes nearly 29,000 planetarium visits. In addition to learning opportunities for students, the center also provides professional learning for teachers and is open to the public.
The district will spend $2.1 million to upgrade its planetarium — an endeavor that will bring new projectors, computers and software to integrate with the current lighting and sound system.
The district will use another $1.1 million for instructional upgrades, which will include installing three-dimensional, immersive, STEM-focused learning experiences at the center.
“These exhibits can spark curiosity, deepen understanding and encourage inquiry-based learning as students explore and investigate various scientific concepts,” district staff said.
The upgrades are scheduled to be completed by the end of September.
In DeKalb, only 28% of fifth graders and 20% of eighth graders scored proficient or above on statewide science exams in 2022-2023.
The center is the home of the real unmanned Apollo 6 Command Module that was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 4, 1968, and recovered in the Pacific Ocean 10 hours later. The mission was the second test flight for the giant Saturn V launch vehicle and was the last unmanned flight of Project Apollo.
Faced with a major budget deficit in 2012, the school board considered closing the center — but backtracked after public outcry over the possibility. It’s free to visit.
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